UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for urgent action on climate finance, reform of the international debt system and greater cooperation over shared water resources in the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Second Committee following the high-level political debate of the 81st session.

Speaking in the general debate of the Second Committee on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said the committee must focus on delivering tangible results on some of the world’s most pressing economic and development challenges.

The Second Committee deals with economic and financial matters, including development, financing, international trade, debt, climate change, technology and sustainable development. Its deliberations are less politically prominent than the general debate of world leaders, but often address issues with more direct and lasting consequences for developing countries.

After the UNGA’s high-level debate, diplomats move into these technical and substantive negotiations, where resolutions and international policy frameworks dealing with economic and development issues are worked out. In many respects, these committee debates can be more consequential than the political speeches delivered during the high-level week because they concern the practical arrangements through which international commitments are implemented.

Pakistan placed climate finance and water cooperation prominently among its concerns.

On climate change, Ambassador Jadoon called for a credible pathway to mobilise $300 billion in climate finance, including through grants and concessional financing. He also called for tripling adaptation finance and adequate capitalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

Pakistan also supported Turkiye and Australia in their efforts to make the forthcoming COP31 a “COP of delivery”, stressing that climate commitments must translate into resources and concrete action for vulnerable developing countries.

The issue has particular significance for Pakistan, which remains highly exposed to climate-related disasters and faces substantial financial pressures in dealing with their consequences.

Pakistan’s water concerns

Jadoon called on the UN Water Conferences scheduled for 2026 and 2028 to address the full range of water-related challenges, with particular emphasis on cooperation over shared waters. He stressed the need to respect international law and uphold the sanctity of existing treaties.

The reference to existing treaties gives Pakistan’s intervention particular relevance in the context of transboundary water resources in South Asia.

Jadoon also highlighted the wider financing crisis facing developing countries, saying the annual financing gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is estimated at $4 trillion.

Pakistan proposed four broad priorities for addressing the gap.

Firstly, developing countries should receive greater support in mobilising domestic resources through a more enabling international environment. Islamabad expressed support for negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, saying the eventual framework should provide for a more equitable distribution of taxing rights.

Secondly, Pakistan called for an expansion of international public finance and greater predictability in development assistance. Developed countries, it said, should honour their commitment to provide 0.7 per cent of gross national income as official development assistance.

Pakistan also called for progress on tripling multilateral development bank lending capacity, improving lending terms and lowering borrowing costs, including through fairer credit ratings.

Thirdly, Islamabad called for reform of the international debt architecture and a greater voice for developing countries in institutions that shape global financial policy.

Jadoon highlighted Pakistan’s own role in this effort, noting that the country had served as vice-chair of the working group that steered the launch of the Borrowers’ Platform. Pakistan, he said, would continue to support the platform and called for an intergovernmental process on debt to begin without delay.

Furthermore, Pakistan urged the international community to restore trade as an engine of development and revitalise the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Islamabad called for restoration of the WTO’s two-tier dispute settlement mechanism, preservation of special and differential treatment for developing countries, concrete progress on agriculture and an end to unilateral trade-restrictive measures, including environmental measures.

The Pakistani delegation also addressed the emerging economic consequences of artificial intelligence.

Jadoon warned that AI could become the new face of the development divide, with developing countries at risk of falling further behind in access to technology, skills and investment.

Pakistan also called for greater attention to the development dimension of AI governance, operationalisation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) AI capacity-building fellowship and concrete progress towards establishing a global fund for AI.